KUDAT, May 9 — Mocked by friends for dreaming of becoming the Prime Minister one day, eight-year-old Syam Aariz Rayyan Abdullah, from Pulau Banggi, today managed to hand over a letter to none other than Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

For the youngster, the brief meeting with the Prime Minister at Anwar’s gathering with the local community of Pulau Banggi here was not just a sweet moment, but a testament that a child’s dream should not be taken lightly.

Syam Aariz Rayyan arrived at the venue as early as 8 am with his mother, Norsakinah Junaidi, 33, solely to wait for the opportunity to meet Anwar and hand over the letter he had written himself.

Norsakinah said her second child was very eager to write the letter after being informed that the Prime Minister would be visiting Pulau Banggi.

“I told him of the Prime Minister’s visit, and he told me he wanted to write a letter to the PM because his friends and teacher laughed at him when he said he wanted to become the Prime Minister.

“So, I want to write a letter … I want to prove it. I want to send it to the Prime Minister. Please, mama, deliver my letter to the Prime Minister,” she said when met by Bernama here today.

Norsakinah said that Syam Aariz Rayyan’s enthusiasm was clearly evident when he himself coaxed her to go early to the event location because he was too excited to meet the country’s leader.

As soon as he had the opportunity to meet Anwar, the joy on Syam Aariz Rayyan’s face was evident.

For the child, that brief meeting was not just a sweet memory, but an injection of motivation to continue believing that dreams should not be extinguished just because they were once laughed at.

Norsakinah said that as a mother, she will continue to support her child’s interests and aspirations, especially in education, because she believes that success starts with self-confidence and hard work.

For Syam Aariz Rayyan, that letter might just be a piece of paper, but for his mother, it is a symbol of the courage of a child from Pulau Banggi to express dreams and prove that great ambitions start with the courage to believe. — Bernama

KUDAT, May 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced a special allocation of more than RM31 million to drive development on Pulau Banggi, thus ensuring that the residents of Malaysia’s largest island are not left out of the national development trend.

He said the allocation through the federal government and the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department includes the development of roads, bridges as well as health, education, security and jetty facilities.

He said the projects included the upgrading of roads and bridges in Kampung Limbuak Laut, Kapitangan, Damaran and Bayangan Laut, as well as improvements to the Pulau Banggi police station and health facilities at Karakit Health Clinic.

According to him, also listed were projects to upgrade school dormitories on Pulau Banggi and Pulau Balambangan, the implementation of projects related to national security and defence by the Ministry of Defence, and the upgrading of the Karakit public jetty at the ferry terminal.

“I want Pulau Banggi to be an example to the people who are marginally poor or isolated that this Madani Government feels responsible for upholding the dignity and capabilities of every citizen,” he said when speaking at the Prime Minister’s Reception with the Residents of Pulau Banggi here today.

Also present were Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Zulkifli Hasan.

Also present were the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Sabah State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong and Banggi assemblyman Datuk Mohammad Mohamarin.

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Touching on land transport infrastructure, Anwar said the project to upgrade the Kampung Limbuak Laut to Kampung Pengkalan Darat road is currently being implemented by the Sabah Public Works Department (JKR) at a cost of almost RM44 million.

“This project is very important because good roads will open up economic, educational and health access for the people in the interior of the island,” he stressed.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister also announced an additional government contribution of RM1.25 million which will be coordinated by agencies under the Office of the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs).

Anwar said the funds would benefit the residents through the implementation of education, institutional empowerment, green technology, health and human development programmes.

He said that to strengthen the safety net and daily facilities in coastal areas, the government had also approved an allocation of RM1 million to upgrade the jetty in Kampung Dogoton for the use of residents and enforcement agencies.

“The government has also agreed to upgrade the jetty in Kampung Dogoton for the use of villagers and enforcement agencies amounting to RM1 million, which will be carried out by the Prime Minister’s Department’s ICU,” he said.

He stressed that the island’s remote geographical location is not an excuse for the community in the area to continue to lag behind, on the contrary, the Madani Government shouldered a great responsibility to protect the fate of all the people regardless of their location.

“Continuous efforts will always be made to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to enjoy a better standard of living than before,” he said. — Bernama